Madeleines - little pieces of French heaven

When I make these little French cakes I am always reminded of some of my first holidays I took with my wife to her home town in the south of France. Whenever we would arrive in France one of our first stop would be to visit my wife’s late grandmother. She was a very elegant women, born in Italy and moved to France during the second world war, married to a farmer and living deep in the French country side, this woman typified everything a French grandmother should be. Whenever we would go round she would be busy in the kitchen making all kind of goodies, from French apple tarts to homemade jams and preserved green beans. These delicate little lemon cakes very quickly became one of favourite treats, with a light crumbly texture they are just perfect at any time of the day. These days I make them for my family and I only hope that my recipe can do justice to those made by my wife’s grandmother, thank you for the memories.

140g sugar

3 eggs

115g plain flour

30 cornflour

6g baking powder

zest of 2 lemons

140g melted butter

whisk your eggs and sugar together with a balloon whisk until they double in size then sieve in the flour, baking powder and cornflour. whisk this in then incorporate the lemon zest and melted butter. once the mixture is complete melt a little more butter and brush a little into a madeleine tray and place a level tablespoon of the mixture in each one. Bake for 8 minuets at 210c until golden. Then sit back and enjoy with a hot espresso

#treat #french